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Shavo Odadjian: You Always Have To Top Yourself |
Posted by 2eroSOAD on Tuesday, March 04, 2008 - 04:54 PM
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There’s
been plenty of talk about whether or not System Of A Down is on a
permanent hiatus, but bassist Shavo Odadjian made it quite clear in a
recent interview with Ultimate-Guitar that he doesn’t intend on ever tossing his
platinum-selling group to the wayside. The time off has been all about exploring
new creative outlets, and since the break was announced, Odadjian could easily
be described as the most prolific member.
It’s true that Odadjian has been recording an album with his hip-hop project
Achozen, but it’s his work away from the traditional band format that should
likely draw the most attention. His grandest endeavor has been launching UrSession.com, a new website that was created in response to the rapidly dying
major label system. The site gives musicians the opportunity to essentially
audition for a record contract via uploaded videos or audio. And who exactly is
the judge of all the video submissions? We are.
gg
As soon as you sign up as a
member of UrSession.com (it’s free, so no worries), you can pretty much decide
the fate of thousands of bands.
When Odadjian wasn’t working out all the legal kinks to UrSession.com, he added
one more title to his repertoire: movie composer. He’s the man behind the score
of the upcoming Vin Diesel movie Babylon A.D., which is slated for a September
release. It took a bit of time to get used to creating music for someone rather
than himself or SOAD, but Odadjian said the experience opened his eyes up to a
completely different style of songwriting.
Now that Odadjian has so many irons in the fire, a lot of you might be wondering
where exactly he stands with Serj and the guys. While the topic at hand was
Odadjian’s most recent projects, it was still clear he remains very close to all
of the members in SOAD. He even hinted at a possible onstage reunion in the near
future. There are no solid plans at this point, but at least we know there’s
hope.
UG: UrSession.com sounds like it was quite an undertaking. How long have you
been developing the project?
Shavo: It started a few years ago when me and my best friend, who I’ve been
friends with since 1st grade, were talking and shooting the shit. The topic went
to American Idol. All it is, it’s people singing other people’s songs. I also
started talking about how I’m sure there are so many artists out there -
hundreds, maybe thousands of artists around the world - that are amazing and
should be heard and seen, but there is no platform for them to be heard. In the
last 20 years, you have to know someone. You have to be in Hollywood. You have
to be in a certain area to be heard and to be seen and to be recognized. If all
goes well, you get signed.
We started talking about YouTube and all this stuff. When we mentioned YouTube I
went, “Wait. Now there is this completely new method of being seen and heard,
which is doing video and audio and digital uploads.” That kind of gave us the
idea: What if we go international? The internet was the only and the best way to
go. The idea of UrSession came around.
About a month later we got really serious about it. I had this idea. I was like,
“What if we start a digital label that is also a social network for artists and
musicians for people to just create. We’re going to do a version 2 and a version
3 where you can add your paintings, your drawings, your comedy. We’re going to
feature people who do what they do for passion and not for money. There are a
lot of people who have 9 to 5 jobs, come home, and they do what they do. That’s
where I come from.
Seeing all these new and upcoming bands must remind you of the early days in
System Of A Down.
With System of a Down, we didn’t become a band to sell millions of records and
have videos and play around the world and get recognized. It was more like we
bonded and we enjoyed what we do together. By some chance, we were that needle
in the haystack that go found, that got discovered. I was in college, I had
jobs, and I would still come home and do what I do. Even if I didn’t have the
opportunity to be where I’m at, I would still be coming home and do what I do.
You need to find these other people that think and want and are like us. Finding
them became kind of an obsession. I was like, “We have to do this. We have to
get this done.” So we went and tried to get the patent and stuff, and we
realized it’s there. It took about a year and half or 2 years to get all the
legal mumbo jumbo out of the way, which I’m not very good with. Actually he’s a
lawyer, my first grade buddy. It’s like the yin to the yang.
For musicians who are interested in uploading their own performances, explain a
little about how UrSession.com works.
The most important thing that I thought of was, “Why not have members of my
community who sign on as fans or as artists, vote for who I’ll sign to the
label.” They can get a camcorder or a webcam, and they can record themselves
playing, singing, rapping. They can upload it to the site, and anyone who is a
member can vote. At the end of a period or cycle of about 12 months, I tally up
the votes and I sign the 2 acts that have the most votes.
That’s amazing. That should give a lot of bands more faith in the industry.
I trip just talking about it. I can’t believe that I’m actually doing it. Like
when I go on the site I’m like, “Wow. Two and a half years ago we were just
talking about it, and there it is.” I’m very proud of it.
 What kind of feedback have you received about the site so far?
Because I’m one of the founders, I also have a profile set up. I get hundreds of
messages a day. It’s getting really hard to look through them all, but kids are
thanking us for doing this and telling us how easy and user-friendly it is. You
hear from kids from like Kazakhstan. No joke! I hear from kids in Croatia.
Everywhere it’s the same thing. It kind of gets me emotional because people are
actually appreciating it. I’ve actually been listening to some of the auditions,
and there are some really good artists out there! We only have about 3,000
people so far because it’s only been around for 3 or 4 days, but that’s not bad
for 3 or 4 days, huh?
Let’s say there is a band that doesn’t receive anywhere near enough votes to win
the record deal on UrSession.com, but they still are one of your favorites.
Would you sign them as well?
Of course. This is a label, and it’s not just the audition part. I can sign
anyone I want and release any record on this label. I’m hoping that Achozen, my
new group with RZA, comes out on this label. I’ve already found a few artists
that I’m going to help and I’m going to develop along with the ones that get
voted on and get signed. It’s not just exclusively on the votes. If I come
across an artist that I believe in, I would sign them.
It’s from an artist to artists. I can keep the major labels away and just
release this stuff digitally. Nowadays people rarely buy CDs. People like me are
buying the CDs because I want the booklet, but the 10 year olds these days, they
don’t like it. So why not digitally do it and make the price less and reward the
artists with more than a major label would. I’m not here to be greedy - I want
to help.
You mentioned that your new project Achozen would be on the label. I understand
that it has a strong hip-hop feel to it.
It’s hip-hop, but it’s brand new. It’s me making the majority of the music. It’s
not just electronic; I’m playing guitars and actual bass. The sound effects are
not hip-hop-friendly, but I made them hip-hop friendly! It’s to the left. When
RZA heard, he was like, “Wow, I can be a vocalist.” For everything he’s done,
he’s always made the music also. Just to hear him say that to me, that’s an
honor in itself.
We’ve teamed up where we kind of have the same mind state. We’re both Achozen.
By saying that, I think that only a few are Achozen. That’s pretty much the 5
percent of humans, who have the ability to lead and to guide and to influence
and to inspire. They do it benevolently. They do it righteously. They don’t do
it for self gain, i.e. politicians and businessmen who do it for the buck and
then walk away. One thing I can say for me is I can go to sleep every night
comfortably knowing that anything that I’ve gotten or any material thing that I
own or any place that I’ve come, I’ve never stepped on anyone to get it. I’ve
done it by working hard. That’s pretty big, I think.
It’s very respectable that you’re now giving back to the community as well.
Thank you very much. I hope we get some great artists out there. Even if we
don’t sign them, if you audition, it’s not exclusive. Other record companies can
come and find bands on our site. If the artists want to go to them, go ahead.
Hopefully people will catch on and there will be more outlets like this. Then
the whole mindset of the music business will kind of sway in that direction.
That’s the dream - but I’ve been known to make dreams come true!
You’ve been insanely busy these days. Is it true that you’re also scoring the
upcoming movie Babylon A.D.?
Yeah, I’m done!
How did you get involved in scoring movies?
Whoo, long story! I’ll try to make it quick, though. Maybe about 4 or 5 months
ago, I got a call from RZA. He was offered this film, to do it with Hans Zimmer.
I guess after hearing about the film and seeing the film, he was like, “Shavo
should be a part of this.” So he talked to the director about me, and he calls
me on Thursday. He says, “I think you should really give this some thought
because I think you’re made for this job.” I just told you and I got chills. He
gave me this opportunity. He saw that in me because I’ve directed. Everything I
hear, I see. Everything I see, I hear. That’s natural.
Saturday the director and the supervisor of the music come over to my house,
hear my stuff. On Monday, I’m having a meeting with Hans Zimmer. By Thursday, I
score my first scene. That’s how it happened! My life is surreal. I moved to
Hollywood at 5 years old, and just did what I do. I was a skateboarder, I played
music, and I loved music. I just followed it. I did it for passion, and I’m
honored and lucky that I got the opportunity to make a living out of it.
When you’re writing for a movie scene, is it similar at all to when you’re
writing for System or Achozen?
No, that was the hardest part of it. Well, not the hardest part. That was the
one aspect of it that I really had to learn and get used to. Whatever I do, I
write for myself. If people like it, badass! If they don’t, I’ll write another
one. I’m an artist and I do it for myself. When you’re scoring a film, you have
to sort of take direction from the director because it’s a film. At some points
I felt like I was kind of working, and I don’t like to think of music and art as
working! It was my first movie, and it was a multi-million movie from Fox. It’s
out of this world! He kind of made me understand, “Don’t get so attached. Get
attached enough to do the best that you can do.” This is the director’s film and
you have to go with his vibe and his soul. Once I got used to that and kind of
went in that direction and took direction, my mind opened. It was actually cool
and it was actually fun.
When does the film come out?
Labor Day weekend. My whole life has kind of been one big roller coaster. I’ve
been working with George Clinton - I’m telling you and I’m pinching myself!
Don’t anyone touch me because I might wake up!
I recently saw a blog posting that mentioned System Of A Down was indeed on
hiatus and had no intention of breaking up. Is that the current status?
We’re a band and we’ll always be. We got to a point where organically, without
thinking, we had to part. For example, me and the things I’m doing. Serj, he
needed to do what he’s doing. Daron and John, they’re doing Scars. It was just
the right time. We went at it for 13 years. It was the right time to separate
and do some things on our own. A content artist who just stays with what’s
working is pretty much a dead artist. You always have to top yourself.
We never planned to take the hiatus. Even though we could have banked and milked
it and made millions of dollars, we stopped. We said this is what needs to be
done. When it’s time for us to get back together, when the 4 of us feel that
it’s right, it’s going to happen. I don’t have a time frame for you. I can’t say
it’s a year or 5 years or 2 years or a month, but we’ll always be System Of A
Down. I love my band. I know everyone in my band loves their band. I’m actually
dying to play onstage again. I feel like I need to rip out of my skin. I know
they all feel that way. I can still play with anyone, but I will never have the
feeling that I have with those 3 guys.
Interview by Amy Kelly -
Ultimate-Guitar.Com
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Comments
youssef
04.03.08, 19:08
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awesome shavo ur the best!! sure after daron and john for me:P
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Tankiani
04.03.08, 19:59
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Great interwiev. ;)
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Mikke
04.03.08, 20:35
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Cool:P
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Serj'sLUVER-YEA
04.03.08, 21:19
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Cooleis. All this stuff Shavo is doing is great. GO SHAVO!^^
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The.Harlots.Roulette
04.03.08, 23:09
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Nifty! Now I absolutely HAVE to go see Babylon (didn't know Vin was in it! My two of my favorite bald men, same movie XD) Oh my geeshees, and Hanz? I might die out of shock from the brilliance of the score.
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redsoxmb545
05.03.08, 00:52
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Awesome interview!
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lucastav
05.03.08, 01:39
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nice interview, who here have a bread like shavo? hauhauahuahuahua i want a bread like serj, ou the biggest from daron... the word is bread?
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lucastav
05.03.08, 01:43
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shavo made the interview for ultimate-guitar? he plays bass hahauahua
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notsocrazy
05.03.08, 20:46
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the last answer was just.. aww ''I will never have the feeling that I have with those 3 guys'' :)
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Siefl
06.03.08, 01:31
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He has an account here?
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kian@soadfans
06.03.08, 11:12
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I love shavo! and really liked his ideas on SOAD
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versza
06.03.08, 20:24
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ohoh, he wants the old good system, sounds wonderful
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XXCUBA!
08.03.08, 01:57
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I gotta check out that website. Thats just an amazing idea!
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WhutUpYo
04.04.08, 05:25
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shavo is #1. Achozen is gonna tearrrrrr it up... i can feel it!!! Hurry up and release some stuff i can make my jam.
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